New York City’s interactive, educational music experience for parents and children debuts in Providence this fall!
Rock-a-Baby, founded by Pawtucket native Marc Trachtenberg in 2007 at the JCC on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, is an interactive, educational music experience for infants and toddlers ages 4 months to 4 years. Marc recently relocated back to the Providence area, bringing Rock-a-Baby along with him. He and two other energetic musicians/teachers will lead infants and toddlers in an exploration of rock, pop, blues, traditional, and classical music genres by singing songs, playing games and instruments, and dancing. Each week a different theme will be explored with the help of whimsical puppets—Rhythm, Melody, and Harmony.
The Jewish Community Center of Rhode Island (JCCRI) announced that it will be offering the Rock-a-Baby infant and toddler music program as part of its fall 2010 programming. JCCRI, located on Providence’s East Side, is a diverse neighborhood center offering fitness, childcare, classes and enrichment opportunities, rooted in a deep sense of community. While some programs offer insight into Jewish tradition and heritage, the center is not exclusive to the Jewish community and prides itself onhaving “community” as its middle name.
“We are so proud to offer the first Rock-a-Baby music classes in Rhode Island,” stated Nicole Katzman, director of PJ Library & Shalom Baby of the JCCRI. “We believe the Providence community will embrace the wide variety of music and appreciate the welcoming atmosphere and playful energy. Not only will the children be educated and entertained, but the adults will be too!”
Founder Marc Trachtenberg earned his BS in music education from New York University and has over 15 years’ experience as a professional songwriter, entertainer, and educator. Marc’s Rock-a-Baby takes your average Mommy and Me music class to a whole new level. “After years of teaching by day and gigging by night,” he says, “I saw an opportunity to blend my musical background into something inspiring for young audiences, and their grown-ups too.” Marc’s diverse and extensive experience culminates with Rock-a-Baby.
“We are excited to be able to partner with JCCRI to bring Rock-a-Baby to the Providence community,” says Marc. “We want to foster a love of music at an early age. Through the repetition of rhythm and improvisation, using musical instruments made for children, melodic recognition, and hand and body movement and more, we help to stimulate infants’ and toddlers’ development.” As the Rock-a-Baby theme song claims, “With songs from Bach to hip-hop, we’ll put on a show, we’re not gonna stop!”
Visit the Rock-a-Baby website for more information. To register for classes, contact Stephanie Trachtenberg at Stephanie@rock-a-baby.net or 401.524.5120. Tell her you heard about it on Kidoinfo!
Wooly Fair, Providence’s own do-it-yourself art carnival, will rear its shaggy head on Saturday, July 31st at Monohasset Mill and the Steel Yard in Providence. Now in its sixth year, this vibrant spectacle that showcases the city’s creative community adds kid friendly acitivities to the mix.
Wooly Fair features a host of games, amusements, music, food, and interactive art exhibits. Each year, the carnival centers on a theme and the entire event is built from scratch by volunteers. “The Woolies” are Providence-area artists, writers, crafters, poets, designers, engineers, and entrepreneurs—art freaks and geeks. And wool attracts wool. Fairgoers are also artists, writers, crafters, poets, designers, engineers, and entrepreneurs. Last year, 500 people attended from across Rhode Island and from all over East Coast, from Maine to New York.
The Fair features a host of exciting performers and interactive installations with a Back to Nature theme from 1 p.m. ’til 1 a.m. The kid-friendly activities are between 1 p.m. until 8 p.m. After 8 p.m., plan to take the kids home to stay with a sitter and head back for the adult fun.
Here’s what’s happening during the day for the kiddos:
The planting of The Flower Tower. The Flower Tower is a 24′x24′ tiered pyramid that will be lined with over 100 container gardens. Attendees of Wooly Fair will be invited to plant the gardens, which will be distributed throughout Rhode Island after the event.
Fearless Mobile Mini Golf. The Woolies have custom-built mini golf courses and kids love them! We’ve brought them to Foo Fest and Maker Faire and they’ve been a hit with families.
Marvelous Marvin’s Circus Arts Workshop. Marvelous Marvin will be at Wooly Fair from 2-6pm teaching kids and adults how to juggle, stilt walk, twirl rings, and more.
Tricycle races. Kids and adults can partake in our 3rd annual tricycle rally. There will be a custom-built course for all to enjoy.
Details:
When: July 31, 2010 from 1 p.m. to 1 a.m. Rain date is August 7, 2010. Family-friendly activities between 1 p.m and 8 p.m.
Where: Monohasset Mill, 532 Kinsley Avenue, Providence Rhode Island. Access to the Flower Tower at the Steel Yard will be through the Monohasset Mill fairground.
Cost: Tickets are $15 each at the door or $12 each through thewooled.com. Kiddos under 12 get in for free.
The Rhode Island Council for the Humanities (RICH) will honor award-winning singer, songwriter, and storyteller Bill Harley along with noted historian, antiques dealer, and civic provocateur Richard Kazarian at its eighth annual Celebration of the Humanities, which will be held Monday, October 18, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Hope Artiste Village in Pawtucket. This year’s theme is “A Night of Curiosity.” Each year, the celebration recognizes the recipients of RICH’s Tom Roberts Prize for Creative Achievement in the Humanities and Honorary Chairs’ Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Humanities.
The popular social event offers RICH an opportunity to publicly honor its awards recipients while spreading the message of its mission: to inspire and support intellectual curiosity and imagination in all Rhode Islanders through lifelong learning. This year RICH also launched the new 2010 Civics Education grant program, funding eight Rhode Island based projects that support teachers, schools, and community organizations who are working to enhance civic education in K-12.
Lifetime Achievement
The Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to an individual or group whose career achievements demonstrate humanities excellence, reflect RICH’s mission and core values, and enrich public life in Rhode Island. This year, the award honors Bill Harley for his use of music, song, and story in building community; promoting our common humanity; and encouraging lifelong learning, exploring, and growing.
Bill Harley is well-known nationally but we are fortunate that he lives locally. My children and I have had many opportunites to see him perform in person, inspiring them to become better storytellers themselves. I also had the honor of interviewing Bill Harley for Kidoinfo in 2008.
Harley is a prolific writer and recording artist as well as a longtime regular commentator on NPR’s All Things Considered. Since 1984 he has released 28 albums, authored eight children’s picture books and two novels for gradeschoolers, and worked on multiple theatrical productions. Several of his books have received awards, including The Amazing Flight of Darius Frobisher and Night of the Spadefoot Toads. His award-winning DVD, Yes to Running, was featured on PBS, and many of his other albums have been honored for their excellence. Entertainment Weekly labeled Harley, a two-time Grammy Award winner and multiple nominee, “the Mark Twain of contemporary children’s music.” Our personal favorite story CD is Town Around the Bend.
In addition to touring and recording, Harley currently is conducting research for a book on the culture of schools and preparing for the September release of his new spoken-word CD, The Best Candy in the Whole World. For a complete list of Harley’s work and awards, visit billharley.com.
The Celebration of the Humanities is open to the public; tickets are $75 ($25 for students). To reserve tickets and learn more about the honorees, visit rihumanities.org.
About RICH
Founded in 1973, RICH is an independent, not-for-profit state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Sharing with the NEH the belief that “democracy demands wisdom and vision in its citizens,” RICH invests in individuals and organizations—from scholars, filmmakers, writers, and oral historians to libraries, museums, historical societies, and community organizations—that engage Rhode Islanders in the intellectual and cultural life of the State.
Saturday, August 14, 2010 1 PM – 1 AM Empire Street, Providence
Tickets: $5 per person.
AS220 Foo Fest returns to downtown Providence on Saturday, August 14! Foo Fest is the family event of the year not to miss and reminds parents even though we may have children we can still take part in cool fun things happening in the city of Providence. This summer celebration of Rhode Island’s vibrant arts community will once again fence off and transform Empire Street into a lively party with dancing, eating, interactive art installations, homemade games, and two dozen acts ranging from national headliners to up-and-coming local bands.
Kidoinfo sponsored last year’s event when AS220 decided to make Foo Fest more accessible to families with young children by starting earlier in the day and including special programming. We had so much fun last year we are back again this year as a proud sponsor*.
Foo Fest will include musical ensembles and activities geared toward the younger crowd throughout the afternoon, including performances by two-time Grammy Award-winning children’s entertainer Bill Harley (pictured above), indie-folk sensation Erin McKeown, Providence’s own What Cheer Brigade (pictured below), a 2nd Foo Fest appearance from Joe’s Backyard Band and fun tidbits from this year’s emcee, Keith Munslow.
Although music and activities have been planned with families in mind these are not separate from everything else happening at Foo Fest. Families get to see, create and experience it all. Kids want to listen to music, make things and move around as much or more as the adults do. And we parents still want to feed our own creative needs. Foo Fest gets it.
In the evening, Foo Fest will get more mature with an impressive lineup of several of New England’s most popular bands including War Paint and Javelin, and national headliner ESG – the genre-defying, art-funk female ensemble from the South Bronx. We heard families last year say they wished they’d planned for an evening babysitter so they could drop the kiddos off at home and return for a date night out. Plan accordingly.
More cool stuff:
In honor of its 25th anniversary, AS220 announces creation of the AS220 Free Culture Award – a national award bestowed every other year on an artist whose work has made a significant contribution to grassroots, participatory culture and freedom of artistic expression, and embodies AS220’s unjuried, uncensored mission and values. Contemporary artist, graphic designer and illustrator Shepard Fairey will be the inaugural recipient of the AS220 Free Culture Award at Foo Fest 2010.
Shepard is a Los Angeles-based contemporary artist and commercial graphic designer who emerged from Providence’s underground arts community in the 1990’s to become the most influential street artists in the world today.
To commemorate the occasion of AS220’s 25th anniversary and celebrate Providence’s artist community, Shepard is being commissioned to install the largest Shep Fairey mural in the world on the side facade of Trinity Rep’s Pell Chafee Auditorium in downtown Providence. How cool is that? Shep is also producing an AS220 25th Anniversary Limited Edition Print, for sale now at www.as220.org, and at Foo Fest.
In a ceremony preceding the headline music act at Foo Fest, AS220 Artistic Director Umberto Crenca will honor Shepard for his work and present him with the one-of-a-kind, hand-crafted Free Culture Award on the Foo Fest main stage.
More reasons to love this city.
AS220’s FOO FEST 2010 Sponsors:
BIG TIME Support From: Foo’s Official Media Partner – The Providence Phoenix, Rolling Rock, 95.5 WBRU, Providence the Creative Capital & Mayor David N. Cicilline. Major Support From: Bank of America, Bank RI, Citizens Bank, Kidoinfo. Significant Support From: Durkee Brown Viveiros & Werenfels Architects, Pinpoint Studio, MetLife, Pezzuco Construction Sokoloff & Associates.
We receive a fair amount of CD’s or links to family band wesbsites. Some are a bit heavy on the “kid” part and some are more about good jammin’ tunes that happen to have lyrics about what kid’s think about—like food and animals, more than adult themes—like love and heartbreak. Here is a list of some new and recently released music worth the listen. Share your own favorites in the comments below.
Joe’s Backyard Band: Kick Up A Breeze
Joe’s Backyard Band is local to Providence so our family is lucky to see them perform live often. Their music is fabulous for all ages and blends blues, folk rock reggae to create music everyone wants to dance to. The band features a festive mix of guitars and drums, harmonicas and saxophones, flutes and mandolins. Kick Up A Breeze is their first CD and has been the must-listen-to CD in our car on the way to school for weeks now. My boys favorite’s include: “Crow”, “Pitching a Party”, and “Cities with Seagulls.”
Band website: www.joesbackyardband.com
Listen to CD: www.cdbaby.com/cd/JoesBackyardBand#
Natalie Merchant: Leave Your Sleep (double album)
Released worldwide on April 13th by Nonesuch Records.
I know and love Natalie Merchant from her days with The 10,000 Maniacs. She has not released an album since before the birth of her child. Her new album has set to music the poems of writers representing different nationalities and time periods. In a recent interview NPR says “In keeping with this diverse array of lyrical source material, the music on Leave Your Sleep spans genres from around the globe, including jazz, bluegrass, reggae, chamber music and Balkan, Chinese and Celtic folk…Merchant collaborated with more than 100 musicians, including Medeski, Martin & Wood and The Chinese Music Ensemble of New York.” I am looking forward to whole CD myself.
Band website: www.nataliemerchant.com/
Listen to CD: http://www.nataliemerchant.com/l/leave-your-sleep
Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem: Ranky Tanky
What does Rani Arbo sound like? In their words, “Start with a fiddle, a guitar, and a standup bass. Add a cardboard box with a suitcase bass drum and tin can cymbals, played by an ex-rock and zydeco drummer. Over that fine groove, hang Rani Arbo’s expressive alto, seamless four-part harmonies, and a splash of banjo and ukulele, and you have it.” I agree,
Their first family CD, Ranky Tanky is loads of fun.
Band website: www.raniarbo.com/
Listen to CD: www.raniarbo.com/rankytanky/
Key Wilde amd Mr. Clark: Rise and Shine
Key Wilde and Mr Clarke, a musical duo that’s been compared variously to Monty Python and Johnny Cash, released their new book and CD set, Rise and Shine with Little Monster Records in January. They share an enthusiasm for Punk, Bluegrass, Old Time String Bands, Mills Brothers, obscure folk tunes, Hank Williams Beatles, and Dylan. Key Wilde and Mr Clarke bring an offbeat sensibility and fanciful hand-drawn illustrations to their colorful new Rise and Shine board book and CD.
Band website: http://www.littlemonsterrecords.com/bigview-kwmc.html
Listen to CD: http://www.littlemonsterrecords.com/
Uncle Rock: The Big Picture
Uncle Rock’s new release, The Big Picture shows his thought-provoking lyrical skill and rockabilly influenced music. Uncle Rock enlisted the help of multi-instrumentalist Dean Jones, the man behind the acclaimed family music group Dog on Fleas, to produce it. The Big Picture is a socially conscious salute to Uncle Rocks’ musical heroes, offering sonic nods to David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, Cat Stevens, the Ramones, Buddy Holly , Johnny Cash and Billy Idol.
Band website: www.unclerock.com/
Listen to CD: www.cdbaby.com/cd/UncleRock
StarFish: Enter Sandbox
StarFish is a fun group of lifetime musicians from New Jersey who just happen to be dads. Their second family music CD, Enter Sandbox will be out in June. While the rock vibe will entertain even the most jaded parent, the lyrics relate to important things in kids’ lives – treehouses, time outs, homework and parents who always say “No.”
Band website: www.starfishrocks.com/
Listen to CD: www.cdbaby.com/cd/starfishmusic
Joanie Leeds: I’m a Rock Star Joanie’s soulful voice plus her ability to connect with kids through her songwriting won her a 2008 Parents’ Choice Award for her debut children’s album, City Kid.
Band website: http://citykidmusic.com
Listen to CD: www.joanieleeds.com/citykid/listen.php
My kids have loved music since they were babies. When they were fussy, music was the way to calm them. Along with lullabies and rounds of Wheels on the Bus, they listened to Toe Jam Puppet Band, Dan Zanes and Bill Harley along with a heavy dose of Motown, The Beatles, They Might Be Giants, 10,000 Maniacs, Talking Heads, REM and The Specials.
Once they were introduced to movies and live musicals, the musical scores and soundtracks that accompany the films or shows have become some of their favorite things to listen to. Their Star Wars and Harry Potter obsession introduced them to composer John Williams. And once they learned how to use Pandora Radio, they created their own John Williams station.
I’ve been listening to Pandora Radio since it started in 2000 before my kids were born but have grown to love it even more as my time to stay on top of new music and leisurely select my favorite tunes dwindled once having kids. Pandora is a website (free if you put up with the ads and ad-free if you pay a small fee) that allows you to create your own station by entering a singer / composer / song you like. Pandora then plays similar music to your first selection. Chances are you will hear something new or not heard in a long time. You can further fine tune your station by rating the selections with your approval or disapproval.
In our house the John Williams’ station led to Danny Elfman. Some may know him from his Oingo Boingo days. My boys saw and LOVED Alice in Wonderland and have learned Elfman is Tim Burton’s composer of choice. Although they still adore John Williams, Danny Elfman is the boys’ preferred station on Pandora these days. (Click to listen to Danny Elfman station.)
When the boys are not listening to Danny Elfman I’ve been listening to The Style Council or the Sondre Lerche station. What are you listening to on Pandora these days?
Kidoinfo is giving away 4 family fourpacks to attend this year’s Bright Night celebration. See details below to enter.
The artist-run, family-friendly New Year’s Eve festival Bright Night promises to be a most magical evening. It’s not that Harry Potter will be running around town or that that a unicorn will appear, complete with magical horn. (Although both of those would be kind of cool.) This year the main act for Bright Night is the magic/illusion spectacular IllusionQuest. A featured act at Six Flags New England for five years, master illusionist David Garrity and his team will magically appear, disappear, pass through solid objects and even float people from the audience.
Highlights from the performance include a comical illusion where David’s assistant ends up all twisted up; David also teaches a volunteer from the audience how to cut his assistant in half; and the finale features a breathtaking feat where David is chained to a table with 32 steel spikes suspended above him and he must escape before the spikes fall.
In addition to the illusion spectacular, your Bright Night ticket gets you access to over 50 other performances involving nearly 160 performers, including choirs, dance companies, comedians, clowns, puppeteers, jazz bands, a poetry slam, and a whole lot more. The schedule (which is being continually enhanced) runs from 12 noon- 12 midnight on December 31, 2009. There’s free on-street parking or pay $9 in the Rhode Island Convention Center.
Tickets (a Tyvek wristband) are $10 if purchased before December 24. Starting December 25, tickets are $15 each, or buy a family fourpack for $50. Tickets are available online, http://www.brightnight.org, in person at the East Side Marketplace, OOP!, and all Bank RI locations, or by phone via Art-Tix at 401-621-6123.
BRIGHT NIGHT NEEDS OUR HELP!
Some would say that the magical part of Bright Night is that it will happen at all. The largest sponsor, the city of Providence, announced in mid-November that due to budget cuts, they couldn’t afford to sponsor the event. That works out to nearly 30 percent of the festival budget. The artists of Bright Night were determined not to let that deter them. The show must go on–New Year’s Eve must be saved. They’ve started a grassroots campaign called GIVE $20, TELL 10. Their goal is to get you (and 2009 of your closest friends) to give $20 and tell 10 people.
In addition, every performer of Bright Night has agreed to take a pay cut if the festival doesn’t get enough money. Talk about community spirit. So do your part, give a little and buy some tickets! To give, visit http://www.donate.brightnight.org
Want to win a family fourpack to attend the 2009 Bright Night Providence? Tell us in the comments below: “What is your favorite tradition on New Year’s Day?”
We will randomly select 4 people to win a family fourpack (each valued at $50). Deadline is Wednesday at noon, December 23, 2009.
Join Grammy winning artist Bill Harley along with special guests Keith Munslow and Sally Rogers at the Lincoln School Auditorium for a fun-filled afternoon of songs and stories, all to benefit the Rhode Island Community Food Bank. Currently, the Food Bank feeds more than 50,000 Rhode Islanders each month through a network of more than 300 certified member agency programs across the state. SNAP, formerly the Food Stamp Program, now helps one in ten Rhode Islander households purchase food with a 31 percent increase in recipients over the past year.
There will be two performances on Saturday, December 12th, scheduled for 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. General admission tickets are available for $12 each and preferred seating tickets for $18 each. All ticket sales, as well as the proceeds from the sales of books and recordings, will help the Food Bank provide food to local families in need.
The Rhode Island Community Food Bank is a non-profit organization located in Providence, RI. The Food Bank solicits, stores and distributes food products donated by supermarkets, wholesalers, food processors, local farmers and community food drives. The food is then distributed to the Food Bank’s network of more than 300 member agency programs. In the past fiscal year, the Food Bank distributed 9.5 million pounds of food. For more information about the Food Bank, please visit www.rifoodbank.org.
The Details:
Bill Harley & Friends Benefit Concert
The Lincoln School Auditorium – 301 Butler Avenue, Providence
Saturday, December 12, 2009
2 perfomances at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m
General admission tickets: $12 each
Preferred seating tickets: $18 each
Credit: Photo of Bill Harley provided by Bill Harley.
Putumayo Kids is the children’s and educational division of Putumayo World Music, committed to introducing children to other cultures through music from around the world. Always on the lookout for new music to sample, here’s the latest from one of our favorite labels: Two new Playground releases and a holiday collection. All Putumayo Kids CDs feature colorfully illustrated liner notes.
European Playground Parents’ Choice “Recommended” and NAPPA Honors award winner
Take a fun-filled musical tour of Europe without packing a suitcase! This collection of songs takes families on a fun-filled cross genre musical tour around the continent. Features tracks by Sås & Kopp, Alex Schmeisser, Alain Le Lait and Herbie Treehead. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of European Playground will be donated to the European Federation for Street Children.
Pack the world in your picnic basket with Picnic Playground, a collection of delicious songs about food. Features tracks by Jay Mankita, Asheba, Jose Conde, Rhythm Child, Donikkl and Maggie G. A portion of proceeds from the sale of Picnic Playground will be donated to Vitamin Angels, providing essential nutritional supplements to children around the world.
If you celebrate Christmas and want a new twist on the classics, listen to songs from Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Martin Sexton, Deana Carter and Leon Redbone.
Now, want to be one of two winners to receive Putumayo’s A Family ChristmasCD ? Here’s how:
• Visit the Putumayo website, then email info(at)kidoinfo(dot)com (with ‘Putumayo’ in the subject), and name another CD from Putumayo.
• One entry permitted per person; United States residents welcome to enter.
• Entry period closes at midnight EST, Tuesday, November 23, 2009.
Looking for new music for your kids that you won’t mind playing while driving in the car? Or that you may have to listen to over and over once your children decide it is their new favorite CD?
You may want to check out Peter Himmelman, the Grammy nominated singer-songwriter and family music artist. He recently released My Trampoline from Minivan Productions. With songs about a trampoline, an African leopard tortoise named King Ferdinand, a picky eater named Peter, and the scarcity of kids named Steve, Himmelman mixes his offbeat sense of humor with lush pop stylings and irresistible beats to make songs that are sure to get you grooving. The CD won a 2009 Gold Award from NAPPA, the national parenting publications association.
Minivan Productions is a new family music label based in Venice, CA. It represents artists with music that is smart, energetic and parent friendly. In early 2010, Minivan plans to reissue CDs from Peter Himmelman’s catalog: My Fabulous Plum, My Best Friend Is a Salamander and My Lemonade Stand, which have been out of print for a while. Like the cover for My Trampoline, all of the Peter Himmelman CDs feature art by world renowned illustrator Pete Oswald, who also created the cover for his Grammy nominated CD My Green Kite (Rounder).
Next up, Minivan plans a compilation series of kid-friendly songs by well-known artists who don’t usually record children’s music. Looking forward to what’s in store.
Now, want to win a copy of Peter Himmelman’s My Trampoline CD ? Here’s how: (more…)
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Now in its sixth year, this vibrant spectacle that showcases the city’s creative community adds kid friendly acitivities to the mix.
The popular social event offers RICH an opportunity to publicly honor its awards recipients while spreading the message of its mission: to inspire and support intellectual curiosity and imagination in all Rhode Islanders through lifelong learning. This year RICH also launched the new 
Joe’s Backyard Band: Kick Up A Breeze
Putumayo Kids
Looking for new music for your kids that you won’t mind playing while driving in the car? Or that you may have to listen to over and over once your children decide it is their new favorite CD?